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" D o you see that man?" James asked. "Isn't that Lord Harbury?"

"I don't know," William said. "Whoever he is, I don't know the fellow. A friend of yours, is he?"

"Hardly," James said. "I got a bad feeling about him the first time I met him. He took an uncanny interest in the duchess."

"Uncanny?" William raised an eyebrow. "I have to tell you, James, anyone taking an interest in that lady seems perfectly sensible to my mind. She's lovely, you know."

"Oh, not you too!" James had come out to the gentlemen's club today in hopes of forgetting about Victoria.

He didn't want to devote more time to talking about her, and he certainly didn't want to hear from William about how lovely she was.

"She's nothing to you," he informed his friend sharply. "Don't get any ideas."

"So defensive! I don't have ideas. You know I'm not looking for a marriage at the moment. But that doesn't mean I can't notice a lady is attractive, surely? All I'm saying is that if your viscount took an interest in her…"

"He isn't my viscount."

"Whatever he is. I'm only saying that I would find that easy to believe. I don't know why it gives you a bad feeling about him."

"I simply don't trust his intentions," James said.

He tried not to think too hard about the accusations of jealousy that Victoria had levied against him, but it was difficult after the kiss the two of them had shared.

There was something to the idea that he might be feeling jealous, and he knew it.

He didn't know how else to account for the fact that he felt close to igniting with rage at the thought of anybody else kissing her like that.

It was hard to imagine anything that would make him angrier.

But seeing Lord Harbury certainly wasn't helping matters.

He couldn't help but recall the viscount sitting beside Victoria at that dinner party, leaning in to speak to her with that sickening smile on his face.

And then Victoria, too, smiling back at him as if he was bringing her great joy with his conversation.

James wished powerfully that the man wasn't here tonight, that he hadn't had to see him again at all.

"Oh, God," he realized. "He's seen me. I think he's coming over here."

"What of it?" William asked. "We'll say good day to him and then he'll be on his way, easy as that."

James wished he could have his friend's faith that it really would be that easy, but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was something about this man that had never sat well with him. Could this feeling truly be nothing more than simple jealousy?

"Your Grace," the viscount said, a smile on his face. It did look like an earnest smile, and yet James didn't trust it at all. "May I join you?"

"Was there something I could help you with?" James asked. "It's just that I'm enjoying drinks with my friend at the moment…as you can see, I'm sure. I'm not here to conduct business."

"Oh, this isn't business," the viscount said. "Well—I suppose it is related to business. You see, I don't know whether you know or not that your late uncle and I had some business ventures together."

"I did not," James admitted. "But if you need to look at his papers, we'll need to arrange for that to happen some other time. I'm hardly prepared for such a thing today."

"No, no, that isn't it," Lord Harbury said. "It's just that I take an interest in the affairs of the dukedom, as an associate of the late duke, and I do feel that there are certain things I owe to your uncle and to his estate."

"What are you talking about?" James asked. "You don't owe us anything…unless money was owed, of course, and if that is the case, I forgive your debts."

"That's generous."

"I'm not being generous, I merely wish to be left in peace."

"This isn't about debt, as it happens," Lord Harbury said. "Perhaps I misspoke when I talked of owing ."

"Then I suggest you try to speak more clearly."

"I don't know why you're so stubborn in your dislike for me," Lord Harbury sighed. "I've never been anything but admiring toward you, Your Grace."

"Why don't you just tell me what this is all about so that we can go our separate ways?" James suggested.

"Very well. It has to do with the duchess."

"What about her?"

"Well, it was your uncle's greatest fear that she would be left alone in the world if something were to happen to him!

We spoke about it before they were married, you see, and on that occasion he made me promise that I would see to it that she was cared for.

Now, for the past two years I have been unable to keep that promise, since she has sequestered herself in the estate and refused contact with society at large.

But now that she has rejoined the world, I feel compelled to live up to my promise. "

"What does that mean? What does living up to your promise look like?"

"I'm talking about marriage, of course," Lord Harbury said. "I'm going to propose marriage to the duchess."

"You're going to what ? No. Absolutely not," James barked at the viscount, shocked at the anger that had surged up in him at the very suggestion. "I won't permit you to do anything of the kind."

"Forgive me, but did you not tell her that she would be free to choose her own husband? I seem to recall her saying that."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to propose to her without even—without even discussing the matter with me first."

"We're discussing it right now," Lord Harbury pointed out calmly.

"He's right, you know," William agreed. Was it James' imagination, or did his friend sound as though he was on the verge of laughter? There was nothing funny about any of this!

"This isn't a proper discussion," James said firmly. "If you had any respect, you would have come over here and asked me for my permission. You wouldn't simply announce your intentions as if my opinion made no difference to you."

"But…respectfully, Your Grace, I already know your opinion of me," Lord Harbury pointed out.

"You made it abundantly clear the other night at the dinner party.

There's nothing you or I could say to one another on that subject that hasn't already been made apparent.

And I know enough to realize that if I came over here and sought your blessing to propose marriage to the duchess, you would say no. "

"Of course I would."

"And I would ask her to marry me anyway. So why go through all that? I'm showing you respect by letting you know in advance what is about to happen, but I don't ask you for your permission to do what I have already decided upon. I don't require your blessing."

James seethed. "You're really intending to go through with this."

"My mind is made up. I will present myself at your home tomorrow for an audience with the duchess, and I will ask her to marry me."

"And if she refuses you?"

"I think I can persuade her. When she realizes this was what her late husband wanted, that might make a difference.

And we'll be a good match. I can offer her a very good life—likely better than anything she could expect with any other gentleman.

I think I can make her see why I am the best choice for her. "

"What will you do if I refuse to let you talk to her?"

"You can't do that forever," the viscount said placidly.

"I think you know that, and I think you will let me see her for that reason.

You don't want this to drag on. Eventually she and I will be in a room together and I will be able to make my offer.

You don't want to be looking in the shadows at every party, trying to make sure that doesn't happen.

And besides," he smiled, "I will take good care of her, Your Grace, and I know that's what you want.

Deep down, thought you might be suspicious of me, you know that this is a good match. "

He rose from the table. "Thank you for your time," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Now will you admit it?" William asked as the viscount walked off.

"Admit what?"

"James, for goodness' sake—you love her.

You're in love with her. It's so obvious.

I've never seen you be so rude to anyone before, and she's quite right to suggest that there's only one possible motive for this change in your behavior.

You love her. You don't want him to marry her because you want to marry her yourself. "

A chill passed through James.

His friend was right, and he knew it. In the aftermath of that kiss, it was simply impossible to go on denying it.

And that was terrible.

It was awful to think that he had allowed himself to be changed, that he had actually opened up to another person. He had never meant for such a thing to happen. To trust people was unsafe. The only way to protect yourself was to remain isolated and self-reliant—his upbringing had taught him that.

If it was true that he had somehow stumbled into feelings for Victoria, there was only one thing to be done. He had to distance himself from her, as quickly as he possibly could.

Perhaps allowing her to marry someone else was the best way to do that. Perhaps Lord Harbury would be his saving grace.

He rose from the table.

"I should get home," he said, hearing how stiff his voice sounded. "Thank you for the company, William."

"Oh, James, don't be that way. Stay and we'll talk about it."

But James was already on his way out the door.